4 minutes of readingBombayUpdated: Jan 19, 2026 08:53 pm IST
Amid intense post-election maneuvers in The Mumbai Civic Body and a growing fear among the Congress over the possibility of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) indirectly helping the Bharatiya Janata Party in the mayoral elections by abstaining from voting, the Congress is increasingly wary of changing political equations in key municipal corporations across Maharashtra, particularly Chandrapur and Parbhani.
In Bhiwandi, the Congress is proceeding cautiously as it has emerged as the largest party but is still three votes short of a majority in the municipal corporation.
On Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) Chandrapur president Sandip Girhe said his party would align itself with any party willing to offer him the mayor’s post. “I am not naming any party, but we will choose the party that is willing to give us the mayor’s post,” Girhe said, hinting that an alliance with the BJP is not even ruled out.
In Chandrapur’s 66-member civic body, the Congress has 27 corporators, followed by the BJP with 23. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has six members, while the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi has two.
Congress sources said infighting between party MLA and legislative group leader Vijay Wadettiwar and Chandrapur Lok Sabha MP Pratibha Dhanorkar has weakened the party’s position. The two leaders are said to be at odds over the choice of mayoral candidate and committee heads, delaying alliance talks and complicating negotiations.
Former minister and Chandrapur MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday claimed that a group of Congress corporators were willing to defect to the BJP, arguing that aligning with the BJP would bring development to the district.
Dismissing these claims, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshavardhan Sapkal said, “Rumors have to be ignored. Congress will have its mayor.”
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Similar uncertainty lurks in Parbhani in the Marathwada region. In the 65-member municipal corporation, the Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged as the largest party with 25 seats, while its ally the Congress won 12. The BJP also won 12 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP won 11.
On the day the results were declared, Parbhani Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jadhav announced that the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress would share the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. However, the change in political equations could still affect the existing balance of power.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has tried to clarify its position. “We want to be very clear in saying that we will not make any move that benefits either the BJP or the Shinde-led party,” party spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said.
In Bhiwandi, the 90-member municipal corporation has thrown up a fractured mandate. The Congress won 30 seats, followed by the BJP with 22. Shiv Sena, led by Shinde, and the NCP-SP, led by Sharad Pawar, won 12 seats each, while the Samajwadi Party has six and others seven.
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Despite its alliance with the NCP-SP, the Congress is still three members short of a majority. In a bid to consolidate support, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal on Monday invited all newly elected Congress corporators from Bhiwandi to the party headquarters for a felicitation event.
NCP-SP MLA Jitendra Awhad said He indian express that his party would support Congress. “We will achieve numbers and we will have our mayor in Bhiwandi,” Awhad said.
